This past weekend, you could easily spot flocks of stylish Indigenous folks parading across Santa Fe, New Mexico—all decked out in their finest gowns, dentalium shell necklaces, and beaded earrings. The occasion for such peacocking? Santa Fe Native Fashion Week, a jam-packed weekend presenting new contemporary collections from Indigenous designers across North America. With tentpole events such as SWAIA Native Fashion Week and Native Fashion Week Santa Fe taking over the entire city, well-clad crowds gathered to celebrate and witness the innovative new shows—all of which stemmed from an exciting mix of artists from various regions and tribes.
While the Santa Fe Indian Market in August remains Santa Fe’s main draw, its Native Fashion Week (now in its second year) is fast becoming a hot ticket, too. Over 50 Indigenous designers took part in the weekend, each one debuting avant-garde creations with a poignant cultural flair. While the aesthetics and sensibilities of the designers ranged drastically, a similar spirit united them all—one of maintaining traditional Indigenous stories, motifs, and craftwork techniques in thrilling new ways.
Over at Native Fashion Week Santa Fe, a focus was put on exploring the tension between tradition and modernity. Highlights included the work of Dorothy Grant, a legendary Haida designer known for her hand-appliquéd designs featuring Northwest Coast formline, and Pamela Baker, another veteran West Coast artist. Navajo designer Penny Singer showcased her new range of vibrant ribbon shirts and appliquéd jackets. Lauren Good Day, a prominent Indian Market artist, presented a collection of printed dresses and jackets—all featuring her signature ledger art on silks and organic cottons. “It was my interpretation of a neutral yet bold pallet—earth tone ledger florals on silks, organic cottons, and tencel,” says Good Day.
At the SWAIA shows, meanwhile, tradition prevailed further—with artisans using the hides, beadwork, and dentalium shells that their communities have designed with for centuries. Designer Randi Nelson created fitted gowns and vests using traditional hides. “The entire collection is created in black and the natural shades of hides, to focus on the beauty and diversity of the hide,” Nelson says. “Home-tanned hide is a material of wealth, and this collection challenges what luxury means.” Vina Brown of Copper Canoe Woman created wearable art, crafting intricate bodychains using materials such as laser-cut acrylics, or abalone and dentalium shells. “I love to mix modern materials and mediums with traditional materials,” says Brown. “I drew inspiration from Potlatch regalia of the Pacific Northwest—from dance tunics to aprons—remembering how our ancestors were masterful in adorning themselves with whatever was available.”
Couple Adrian Stevens and Sean Snyder made their highly-anticipated runway debut, pairing sleek black pieces with their beaded “Birkin bags” (all beaded on traditional hides, to the specifications of an Hermès Birkin—hence the inspiration). House of Sutai showed body on dresses adorned with dentalium shell harnesses. Deb Haaland, meanwhile—the former Secretary of the Interior under Biden’s administration, who is also running for Governor of New Mexico—even made a surprise appearance to walk for designer Patricia Michaels.
As the crowd cheered Haaland on from the sidelines, it was very much clear that Native Fashion Week is about much more than fashion: It also serves as a platform for the Indigenous community to celebrate and uplift one another. Given it’s only in its second year and already a splashy must-see event, it will only continue to grow as well—meaning, there is much more Indigenous excellence to come.
